CALLS have been made for hospital chiefs to sack their current parking company after a series of errors and failings.

A retrospective planning application for cameras around the site has been submitted by Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the past week after they were told by the council they needed permission for their new troublesome automatic licence plate recognition cameras.

Hospital bosses have also had to order car park operators Highview to stop sending out debt collection letters after Halton councillor Dave Thompson uncovered the company has not been a member of the Credit Standards Association (CSA) since 2014.

Angry motorists had started to receive letters from a company called Debt Recovery Plus demanding £149 over unpaid parking charge notices.

It adds to a long list of failings leading to some residents on social media claiming they are now 'afraid' to keep appointments at the hospital.

Cllr Thompson added: "This story has dragged on and what they needed to do was sack the firm and get a better contractor but they have decided to stick with them and it's putting them in a bigger and bigger hole.

"It's like something you would see on Rip Off Britain but this is our hospital for goodness sake."

A spokesman for Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said they had listened to patient and visitor feedback and are looking at a 'number of improvements' to the parking system including upgrading parking machines and improving signage.

He added: “We’ve also instructed the parking company to temporarily curtail any debt collection from people who have not responded to initial parking charge notices whilst we are awaiting the final report from the DVLA which concerned the Halton Hospital site.

“The new machines currently under review automatically identify plates on site so as the visitor enters the digits it brings up their plate as a car on site – eliminating accidental incorrect entries.”